Eventually
by forensicsfan
Summary: A year and three months after they went their separate ways, Booth and Brennan find eventually.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them.

**Author's Note:** I really had intended to make this a one shot, however, it just wouldn't let me, so welcome to another work in progress with no other point than to explore what eventually for our two favorite characters might look like.

* * *

It had been a year and three months and things were starting to get back to some semblance of normalcy.

Whatever _that_ was.

Not that anything at all had changed in Booth's heart. Sure, he'd tried to move on, made a pretty significant connection with a woman who had been working for a human rights group in Afghanistan. Natalie seemed to be almost the perfect woman. Almost. He even entertained the idea of asking her to come to DC when she returned to the States, but he didn't put the invitation out there and they hadn't made any long term promises to each other when he'd shipped out to go home. The moment he'd seen Bones waiting for him at the coffee stand near the reflecting pool, he knew that he would have been wasting Natalie's time and his too and he was glad he'd just left the whole thing in Afghanistan. If it was his penance to bear loving a woman that would never love him back, then he would just shoulder it and trudge onward. Who was he to argue with what seemed to be his fate?

So here he was at nearly ten-thirty at night armed with take out and ready to knock on his partner's door knowing that this last case had been a bit more horrifying than either one of them cared to admit. He took a deep breath and hoped that he wasn't overstepping his bounds since it had been a long time since _this_ felt okay.

Somehow she knew who it was standing at her door, and it caused the corners of her mouth to quirk upwards into a smile before she pasted on a patented semi-annoyed expression and opened the door. She cocked her head to the side. "Booth, what are you doing here?" She was inwardly thrilled that he'd shown up unannounced.

"I saw your light from the street." It was a complete and utter lie and they both knew it but it didn't lessen the smile on either of their faces as he held up the bags in his hand. "I have Thai." The fact that she was in track pants and a tank top was not lost on Booth, and he was thankful that she wasn't wrapped up in a robe with bed hair.

Brennan let him pass into the apartment and shut the door behind him. Even though she'd seen him nearly every day of the last three months since they'd both gotten back, she'd missed him, she'd missed this. For five years, they'd had an easy banter without the complication of the knowledge that he loved her or that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But his words had changed everything, had shifted things off center because she hadn't been ready to hear them. For someone who usually processed things in milliseconds, she had been mulling all of this over ever since the words had come out of his mouth and she had finally reached some semblance of understanding of where she stood on the issue. "You know, eating this much food is going to make us both fat." There was a twinkle in her eyes as she padded along behind him to the couch.

"I think it's going to take more than just an extra helping of Mee Krab to do that." He grinned at her and then hooked his thumb toward the kitchen. "You have beer in the fridge?" He knew he could use a beer, and he guessed that she probably could too.

"Yeah, I do." She had the microbrew that he liked instead of the Moroccan beer she knew he hated, as if she'd known that at some point he'd invite himself over and she'd have a reason to break it open. She pulled herself off of the couch, taking note of the fact that he had one of his favorite vintage rock t-shirts and a well worn pair of blue jeans on, vintage Booth really.

"I could have gotten it." He didn't stop her though, he simply admired the grace of the way she moved towards the kitchen, returning with two beers in hand, smiling as she offering him a bottle opener and one the beers.

"You're a guest." While her statement was technically true, he would never be _just_ a guest in her home. He was part of her, intertwined in her life whether she liked it or not. A year away in separate part of the globe made her realized just how much she liked having his life overlapping on hers.

"To another case closed." His smile was easy as he reached over and removed the lid from her bottle before he undid his own and then softly clinked the bottles together. He was so glad _this_ particular case was closed. The bad guy was in jail and Caroline Julian had all she needed to put the sicko away for life.

She simply smiled at him and let out a sigh as she watched him take a long pull of his beer out of the corner of her eye while she unloaded the cartons of food.

"You doing okay, Bones?" He was concerned, maybe a year off from death and murder hadn't been long enough for her.

"I've just been thinking." Brennan's smile was soft as she looked over at him. "You're a good man, Seeley Booth." She felt a wad of nerves unfurling deep inside her stomach and she knew with absolute certainty that regardless of the outcome, this was the time to share her conclusions with him.

He let out an amused chuckle. "We've known each other for how many years and you're just now figuring that out? I thought you were a genius." He hoped that his wink helped her understand that he was simply teasing her.

She smiled and nudged her elbow against his. "I _am_ a genius. However, there are certain things that I apparently require more time to process than the average person." She hated to admit that she'd needed so long to reach a conclusion that had seemed so obvious to everyone else.

Booth didn't want to get his hopes up, but he really couldn't help himself as he studied the smile flickering across her face and the intensity in her features. "You feel like talking about it?"

She didn't hesitate and she looked at him fully. "I need to tell you that although things between us seem to have returned to normal, they aren't. I don't think they can ever be." She could see a hint of panic flash in his eyes and she reached out and touched his arm. "We're the center and I think we're off balance."

"I thought we were doing okay." He hoped that she didn't want to break up their partnership. They were doing better than he'd expected considering that his heart was still hers even if she didn't want it. He took another drink from his beer to drown the furious beating of his heart.

"Have you moved on?" She needed to know if her conclusion was worth even stating. If he'd moved on then what had taken her so long to realize really didn't matter, it couldn't matter.

Booth felt his heart thud, but he couldn't lie to her either. He had put himself out there once and he'd lost, but maybe it was worth another gamble, maybe she was asking because she had decided to stop running away. "No. I tried. I really, really tried. But I haven't been able to, I'm not sure I really want to. I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable." He really wasn't sure how she was going to respond, but squinty words were almost a foregone conclusion.

"I'm glad." She noticed the uncertainty on his face and continued. "If you are amenable, I would like to give us a shot." To make sure that he was completely clear, she had chosen to reiterate the words he'd used on her a year and three months before.

He was going to question if she was serious, but he could tell from the expression on her face that she was, and besides, this was Bones, she didn't do things that she wasn't sure of. He finally found his voice and a grin broke out over his face. "I am more than amenable."

"The I would assume you wouldn't mind if I kissed you." It wasn't a question. She moved towards him, pausing a fraction of an inch from his lips and smiling as she realized that he was going to close the distance between them.

Her lips were soft against his and unlike the last time he'd kissed her, she wasn't pushing him away.

Apparently the last year and three months had been worth the wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the delay in updating. I just finished moving, so I hope I have more time for keeping the world filled with Bones fluff. Words in italics are flashbacks to the previous night.

* * *

A single foot poked out from underneath the blue comforter, the pink nail polish speaking volumes about the woman in the scientist behind all of her logic and reason. Temperance Brennan was a woman at heart and a girly one at that. A stretch and a sigh and then a smile flickered across her face as she considered the complete shift in her world in the last several hours. The soft breathing sounds coming from the other side of the bed reassured her that the center had held.

_What had started as a simple confession followed by a kiss on the couch had quickly become the spark that ignited the embers that had been slowly smoldering under the surface for years. No thought was given to the cartons of Thai food that had been Booth's reason for stopping by. Instead, soft kisses and caresses turned into a tugging of his hand as she'd led him down the hallway to her bedroom. Once they'd crossed the threshold, clothing quickly left a trail as they'd fumbled their way to the bed. The reality had been far better than any recurring fantasy either of them had entertained while they'd been living in denial._

Booth's sniper-honed senses made his eyes snap open as he felt the mattress shift and as he realized exactly where he was, he smiled and rolled onto his side. He never really considered that Bones wasn't a morning person if she didn't have a set of bones waiting to be examined, but the way she was burrowing back under the covers seemed to underscore that there was hope for life outside of work for them as a couple. He could hear her sigh softly and found himself irresistibly drawn to her and as he spooned against her and curled his arm around her waist he was a little surprised to hear her giggle.

"It seems that one of the _three_ of us is awake." She glanced over her shoulder at him and smirked.

"_Do all men name them?" Brennan had looked at him with a slightly befuddled expression. While his sexual organ was magnificent and proved to be extremely satisfying during intercourse, she had no idea until that moment that it had its own name._

"_I can't speak for other guys, but he's what puts the 'special' into Special Agent Seeley Booth." He was completely full of crap, but he had just left the woman of his dreams very satisfied and it only seemed logical that bragging about his prowess was in order. And the fact was, he figured that those guys that didn't name them probably weren't as well equipped as he was._

"_Hmm, then I suppose 'he' needs some 'special' attention." She smirked at him before ducking under the covers and making his dreams come true all over again as the hot wet heat of her mouth closed over him._

Booth burst out laughing. "_He's_ just very happy to see you." There was a little part of him that regretted telling her that he referred to his manhood as his very own special agent, but since she had so thoroughly enjoyed all that he could do with it, his regrets had faded into sweet and utter bliss as she had shared the special gift of her mouth.

"Is _he_ up for a little more interrogation?" She was having a hard time holding back her amusement at the innuendo laced conversation they were having. She had learned last night that the only reason he'd always been so uncomfortable talking about sex with her was because they weren't having it. Now that they'd obliterated that line, it appeared that he was just as much fun in bed as she was. She had certainly enjoyed herself and from the way he'd been moaning her name during the act, she concluded that he had as well.

"Oh, I think that _I'll_ be handling the full body search." He slid his hand up and enveloped the soft curve of her breast, his thumb rhythmically brushing across the hardening tip as he pressed his lips against the side of her neck.

"You are very good in bed." Not that she really thought he needed any reminding of that fact, it was just very difficult to not tell him when what he was doing felt so delicious. Not that feeling delicious was even logically possible, but logical thought seemed to fly away when Booth was touching her like this.

"_You're_ amazing." He nuzzled her neck and slipped his hand from her breast down to the curve of her hip so he could roll her onto her back. His hand splayed out across her abdomen as he looked down into her eyes. He hoped that this was just the first of many mornings that he'd get to wake up like this.

"Clearly we have a very good sexual rapport." She shifted her hips a little so that his hand slipped lower as her arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him closer for a kiss.

Booth seemed to take the hint and as they began to trade slow deep kisses, he slipped his hand down between her legs, finding that she was just as aroused as he was.

"Feels so good, Booth." Brennan mumbled against his mouth with hooded eyes as she bucked her hips against his hand and began fondling her own breast. As much as she wanted to feel him moving inside of her, she was certain that she could reach bliss just like this.

"So damn sexy, Bones." The way she was touching herself while she moved against his hand was one of the sexiest things he'd ever seen. And suddenly he was sure that he'd never been quite this hard in his life. "Want you so bad."

"Want you too." She reached for him and then hitched her leg across his hip. She had no need for manual stimulation when she had a real live man who was one of the most stimulating she'd ever been with right there. Her lips met his as he sank into her and she found herself clinging to him for a moment at the overwhelmingly good feelings that seemed to make every one of her nerve endings buzz with anticipation.

With Bones underneath him, her hair fanning out across the pillow and the most sultry expression he'd ever seen on her face, he began to move in her. The brushing of his body against hers and the feel of the inside of her thigh against his hip as they kissed and moved felt electric. He was sure it wasn't going to take long for him at all.

She gripped his ass and began chanting his name so that anyone who might overhear would be convinced that he was a living sex god. "Booth, oh, Booth! Yes, oh, yes, Booth, more, more, Booth, so good! Booth!"

"Yeah, baby, so hot, love you so much. Feel so good, Bones, need you so much. Fuck! Oh, fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Love you! Fuck!" Booth couldn't seem to control the words he grunted out the closer he got and he was sure he was going to get there before Bones.

"So close, I'm so close, yes, Booth, please, more, don't stop, more, yes, yes, yes..." Her words trailed off as she tumbled off the edge and let out a sexy satisfied moan as he continued to move in her.

It didn't take him long at all before he was tumbling right behind her and as he did, he leaned in and kissed her long and deep. After he'd caught his breath a little, he pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Bones."

She smiled. "I know." She let him pull her with him as he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes in exhaustion. She pulled the comforter up around them and whispered in his ear as she curled in next to him. "I believe I love you too."


End file.
